Weekly (sort of) Newsletter

A HUGE Thank You to F-1 Volunteers!

The HSO did something new this year: a fundraising effort to benefit the Honors Program Scholarship headed by HSO Fundraising Lead and Honors Ambassador Rachel Hung, a 2025 recipient of the scholarship. We are grateful to the HSO, all its officers, HSO advisor Jana McCarthy, and--most importantly--all 56 volunteers who made it out last weekend. Here is Rachel's account of events:

On Friday 10/17 and Sunday 10/19, a total of 56 Honors students volunteered at Circuit of The Americas during the Formula 1 race to raise funds for the Honors Program Scholarship! These incredibly dedicated students worked more than 10 hours under the hot sun, from 7 AM to 6 PM, to help future Honors students afford their classes — one student even commuted all the way from Houston just to participate!

While we encountered a few challenges throughout the shifts, every volunteer remained patient, positive, and cooperative as we worked through them together. Their commitment, teamwork, and flexibility made this event a true success. Almost everyone had the chance to catch the Formula 1 race and went home with unforgettable memories and new friends.

I would like to personally give out a special thank-you to four phenomenal volunteers who served on both days: Amai Flores, Kevin Bryniak, Gaurav “Ruben” Gunnia, and Het Patel. These individuals went above and beyond, always ready to assist me and others with enthusiasm. They truly embodied the ACC Honors spirit!

**The pics below are of Sunday volunteers, but we want to recognize the efforts of the Friday volunteers as well. THANK YOU!!!

Please Be Patient with Us: Spring '26 Registration

Sorry, y'all--we're dealing with an unusually high volume of calls/emails since we opened the registration request form on the 6th. We're working diligently to answer your queries, but it may take us a bit more time than usual. 

We have added BIOL 2402 (Anatomy & Physiology II) at EVC to the registration request form. The title is "Human Physiology: Hacking Health and the Future of the Human Body," and the instructor is Matt Belzer.

Questions? Contact honors@austincc.edu

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Honors Program Info Session Recording 

If you couldn't make it to the Honors Program Info Session last Friday, feel free to watch it here. Passcode: M&Uf7q@8

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Students Needed for Focus Group: Paid Opportunity 

ACC faculty are leading an effort to help required courses at ACC be more meaningful for students. We could use your help as we investigate what you are connecting with most in these courses. Please consider signing up for a focus group. 

Students who participate in a focus group will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card at the end of the conversation. All focus groups will be conducted in-person at ACC Highland. 

These focus groups will be led by Honors Government professor Ted Hadzi-Antich. You'll meet for about an hour and a half and discuss your experience in required courses at ACC like English composition, history, government, math and other such courses which pretty much every single ACC student needs to take for almost all of our degrees. 

The deadline to submit the interest form is October 30th. 

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Students Needed for ANOTHER Focus Group: Paid Opportunity 

This one is a transfer focus group; the Transfer design team wants to hear from students about their plans for transfer, especially challenges and potential barriers. 

Students that participate in the Focus Group will receive a $50 gift card for their time attending the event The planned date for the event is Tuesday October 28th, from 3PM to 4PM at the Highland Campus. This will be an in-person event and the students are encouraged to sign-up to also be notified about any future transfer student focus group events that we will be hosting in the coming semesters.

Submit your interest form here. 

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Explore Honors Opportunities at TXST Honors College: Virtual Info Session 10/22

You may be aware that we have a transfer agreement with the TXST Honors College. (In order to qualify for automatic acceptance, you must be in "good standing" with the ACC Honors Program, which means you must have successfully completed at least one Honors course.) I recently reconnected with the Dean of the Honors College, Dr. Heather Galloway, and she and her team have decided to put together a couple of virtual info sessions for you:

Are you thinking about your next step after ACC? Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about transferring to Texas State University and the exciting opportunities available through the Honors College.

During this session, you’ll hear directly from the Dean of the Honors College about:

·   Honors College programs and how to graduate with honors

·   Transfer of honors credits from ACC to Texas State

·   Academic and scholarship opportunities at Honors College and Texas State University

·   And much more!

Register now to reserve your spot

·   Wednesday, October 22 at 3:00 PM (via Zoom): Link to register

This is a great opportunity to get your questions answered and explore how Honors College at Texas State can help you reach your goals. We look forward to meeting you!

Best regards,
Honors College
Texas State University

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Honors Study Abroad: Painting II in Italy

We're really happy to announce our new Study Abroad course: Painting II (ARTS 2317), which is a five-week course (May 20-June 20), taught by our own Professor Shawn Camp in Florence, Italy! For more information, please visit Study Abroad. 

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Info Session for Aspiring College Mentors: 10/24

Interested in this opportunity, but need more information to make the leap? We have an Info Session for you with the organizers on Friday, 10/24 at 1:00 pm. Register here. 

I am excited to bring this opportunity to you, as it provides valuable training and work experience--it's a really nice résumé-builder, and the purpose is simply to mentor high school students who aspire to enroll in college. Here is the link for the application, which includes the eligibility requirements. Although it is not stated in the application, the preference is for applicants who are of "traditional" college age (e.g. 18-21).

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Red Bench Dialogue Event: 10/28

Participate in a meaningful dinner and conversation at the Red Bench Dialogue Event, a collaboration between the Service-Learning Program, Office of Belonging and Purpose, and Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT). IACT cultivates peace and respect through interfaith dialogue, service and celebration. The Red Bench is "an ongoing dialogue program designed to address one of the most pressing needs of our time: improving interfaith understanding and civil discourse in our society.  Each conversation is centered on moderated small group discussions that are genuinely respectful and safe. Students in ACC Social Psychology classes will be the trained moderators for our conversation on the topic of "Joy," and the event will feature our ACC Student String Quartet, a free pasta bar, and an evening of meaningful conversation.

Where:  ACC Rio Grande Campus, Center for Government and Civic Service, Building 3000, Room 3340

When:  Tuesday, October 28, 2025 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

RSVP HERE by October 24.

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Civic Deliberation Simulation: Center for Government and Civic Service + UT Austin: 11/8

The folks over at the ACC Center for Government and Civic Service have a new civic leadership opportunity for you! Participation in three of these simulations will satisfy the Honors Scholar leadership requirement. See details from the organizers:

This event will be on Saturday, November 8th and will be a Civic Deliberation Simulation focused on the July 4th flash flood in Central Texas. Students will learn about the flash flood’s response and recovery efforts, collaborate with others to discuss social and technical challenges in crisis response, and contribute design ideas that could grow into future capstone projects, volunteer initiatives, or entrepreneurial efforts. 

Students will also have the opportunity to get training with UT Social Informatics Professor Brian McInnis on facilitation and conversation design. Students can register for participation and facilitation workshop in the same link: 

https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38xQEHhpg7ZP0Uu 

Those who attend the workshop will be able to be facilitators at the Civic Deliberation Simulation! We have two dates available to attend the workshops:

• Friday, October 24th, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm @ ACC Rio Grande Building 3000 

• Monday October 27th, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm @ ACC Rio Grande Building 3000 

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Join a College Committee: Leadership Opportunity 

Looking for an opportunity to fulfill the leadership requirement for the Honors Scholar tier? The Student Government Association (SGA) is looking for student leaders to join college committees. This is your chance to represent the student voice and work directly with college leadership to influence policies, programs, and resources. Help us put the student first to foster purpose and belonging at Austin Community College. We need your perspective! Fill out this form to get involved. 

*You DO NOT have to be an officer of the Student Government to fill these positions. You are already members of the organization and will not have to commit to any additional responsibilities other than serving as a chair on these committees.*

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Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Symposium at Johns Hopkins

Last year, Honors student Eva Ritchie's paper, “Good Grief! Confucius and Cicero’s Expressions of Bereavement,” was accepted for inclusion in the 2025 Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium, which showcases student work across all fields of the humanities. Eva, a Government major who wrote the essay for Dr. Wendy Elle’s Honors World Literature I class, traveled to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to present it. The 2026 conference will take place on March 19-21, and the deadline for submission is December 1st. 

Unlike most of the opportunities I promote, this one does not include funding, so please keep that in mind if you decide to apply. 

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Smith College Virtual Transfer Info Sessions

Did you know that ACC Honors Program students transfer to Ivy League School, "little Ivies," and top 10 public schools? In the last couple of years, we've had students transfer to Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and a wide variety of competitive public universities across the country, UT among them. So when I send out opportunities that seem to be beyond your reach, please don't immediately discount them. I'd like to see you really examine the opportunities--especially if funding is offered. This week we're featuring Smith College, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts that is quite generous with financial aid (and has pledged to provide free tuition beginning in Fall 2026 for those who have annual family incomes of $150,000 or less). Here are a few highlights:

• Transfers can apply with 16 - 64 credits: we consider carefully each transfer's academic record on a case-by-case basis and provide a full credit evaluation at the time of admission.

• We also have a program for non-traditional transfers: Ada Comstock Scholars are 24 or older and can apply with 48 to 64 credits.

• All transfers are eligible for generous financial aid: We meet 100% of each student's demonstrated financial need without loans. 

• Unique housing system: Our 41 self-governed student houses are age-diverse and foster an immediate sense of belonging.  

• Five College Consortium: Our partnership in the Five College Consortium provides access to over 7,000 courses on our partner campuses plus additional clubs, libraries and special collections.  

Smith will be hosting virtual transfer info sessions in October and November. Go here, scroll to "Virtual Transfer Q&A" and then click the calendar to find the links for these dates (note that the times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

• Oct 27th from 5-6pm (ET)

• Nov 7th from 3-4pm (ET)

• Nov 13th from 6-7pm (ET)

You are also encouraged to fill out Smith's Information Request Form. 

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Ready to Become an Honors Scholar?

While taking an Honors class can certainly enhance your transfer applications, becoming an Honors Scholar--a student who takes at least three honors courses, maintains a 3.5 GPA, and engages in select leadership and service activities--can set you apart from your peers in ways that admissions committees find appealing. Becoming an Honors Scholar, for example, will grant you automatic admission to the UT Dallas Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. (We should have that transfer agreement finalized by the end of the fall semester.) 

Honors Scholars receive recognition on their transcripts, a digital badge, and honor stoles for graduation ceremonies. Students who are on track to fulfill the requirements are eligible to apply for the Honors Program scholarship--it is not necessary to have completed all of them to apply. See details below. (If you are applying for the scholarship, please first register your intention to become an Honors Scholar at honors@austincc.edu.) For an explanation of the kinds of leadership and service activities required, visit the Honors Scholar page. 

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Honors Program Scholarship Is Open: Deadline 11/1

The ACC Honors Program Scholarship is open, and applications are due by November 1st. This scholarship is awarded in the spring only, and we will award at least 5 scholarships of $1000 each. 

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you must 1) have taken or be currently taking at least one Honors course, 2) declared your intention to become an Honors Scholar with honors@austincc.edu (just email us and say you'd like to become one), and 3) have at least a 3.5 GPA. That does not mean that you must have fulfilled all of the Honors Scholar requirements at the time of application; you just need to be heading in that direction. (The idea is that the scholarship money can help you to complete your remaining requirements by paying for additional courses.) Students who have already received a $2500 ACC Foundation Open Scholarship for 2025-2026 are not eligible to apply, unfortunately.

What is the purpose of the Honors Scholar tier? We wanted to provide students with an "Honors portfolio," of sorts, which will make them even more competitive transfer/job applicants. Right now, everyone who takes an Honors course has that course designated as Honors on their transcript, but if you become an Honors Scholar, you'll receive what is known as an endorsement on your transcript (basically a fancy stamp that signifies completion of a special initiative/program of study). You will also receive a digital badge that you can use for LinkedIn, transfer applications, etc. The endorsement demonstrates a level of rigor and involvement that university admissions committees tend to find very attractive--especially when paired with an application essay that highlights your leadership and service activities as an Honors Scholar. Also, admissions offices are familiar with this kind of tier; Honors Scholars are common at many community colleges and universities.

Here is where you'll go to fill out the general application--make sure you check the box that asks if you are in the Honors Program--and here is the scholarship itself. You will not be competing with the entire ACC population; you'll be competing with Honors students who have registered their intention to become Honors Scholars only. (That's a relatively small pool! Seriously, we only had 18 eligible applicants last year!) The applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of Honors faculty and the HSO advisor. To register your intention to become an Honors Scholar, please contact honors@austincc.edu. You'll receive instructions about how to proceed.

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